Feb 19, 2017

Trump's base isn't wavering

Axios

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

At yesterday's Trump rally in Florida, Atlantic reporter McKay Coppins found that the president's true believers still believe.

Toward the end of the rally, I began asking attendees how they would grade Trump's time in office so far. All but one awarded him an 'A+' (and the outlier gave him an 'A'). If pressed, they would often add caveats such as, "given what he's up against..." or, "...considering all he's trying to accomplish." Even if some were grading on a curve, it didn't make their reviews insincere.

Why this matters: For all the chattering about Trump's tumultuous first month, the core of his support hasn't flagged. His approval rating averages out to about 45%, according to Nate Silver, And rallies like the one yesterday tell the president to stay the course.

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Axios

Situational awareness

Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Catch up on today's biggest news:

  1. Mike Bloomberg offers to release women from 3 NDAs
  2. Wells Fargo agrees to pay $3 billion to settle consumer abuse charges
  3. Bloomberg campaign says Tennessee vandalism "echoes language" from Bernie supporters
  4. Scoop: New White House personnel chief tells Cabinet liaisons to target Never Trumpers
  5. Nearly half of Republicans support pardoning Roger Stone
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Wells Fargo agreed to a pay a combined $3 billion to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday for opening millions of fake customer accounts between 2002 and 2016, the SEC said in a press release.

The big picture: The fine "is among the largest corporate penalties reached during the Trump administration," the Washington Post reports.

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Bloomberg offers to release women from 3 nondisclosure agreements

Mike Bloomberg. Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Mike Bloomberg said Friday his company will release women identified to have signed three nondisclosure agreements so they can publicly discuss their allegations against him if they wish.

Why it matters, via Axios' Margaret Talev: Bloomberg’s shift in policy toward NDAs comes as he tries to stanch his loss of female support after the Las Vegas debate. It is an effort to separate the total number of harassment and culture complaints at the large company from those directed at him personally. That could reframe the criticism against him, but also protect the company from legal fallout if all past NDAs were placed in jeopardy.

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